Indonesia will turn to private investors for the hundreds of billions of dollars in investment needed to develop the archipelago’s infrastructure and natural resources, President Joko Widodo said, brushing off claims he was increasingly becoming an economic nationalist.All major projects will be offered to the private sector, Widodo, also known as Jokowi, told Bloomberg Television’s Haslinda Amin on Saturday in an interview on a hilltop overlooking the picturesque Lake Toba.

Singapore’s central bank is widely seen sticking to a neutral stance on Friday, but it may be moving closer to tightening policy as the economy continues to strengthen.All but one of the 23 economists surveyed by Bloomberg predict the Monetary Authority of Singapore, which uses the exchange rate rather than interest rates as its main tool, will keep its policy stance where it is: seeking no appreciation in the currency against a trading basket.Less clear is whether the MAS will signal it’s re

If India’s experience of selling local-currency notes in the overseas market is anything to go by, Indonesia’s plan to issue Komodo bonds may not be all plain sailing.The sovereign is mulling a sale of offshore rupiah-denominated bonds, and three state-owned infrastructure companies are considering issuance in coming months.

Vertex Ventures, the venture capital arm of Temasek Holdings, has completed its biggest fundraising for Southeast Asian and Indian technology deals.The Singapore-based firm closed its third Southeast Asian fund at 210 million dollars, a record in the region that exceeded its target of 150 million dollars. The money will be used for early stage investments, aiming to repeat its success with Grab.

Big-name investors including Expedia and Alibaba are pumping billions of dollars into Indonesian tech start-ups in a bid to capitalise on the country’s burgeoning digital economy and potential as Southeast Asia’s largest online market.Indonesia has seen a surge of cash into its technology sector over the past two years, helping support dozens of homegrown start-ups ranging from ride hailing apps to e-commerce firms.And with a population of more than 250 million, a swelling middle class and gr

Malaysia’s two biggest pension funds, which manage a combined 203 billion dollars, plan to pursue talks to buy stakes in foreign-owned insurers in the country as the government enforces caps on overseas ownership, people with knowledge of the matter said.Employees Provident Fund and Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan), known as KWAP, have requested central bank approval to start deal negotiations with potential targets, according to the people.

Thailand’s military government is looking to start construction of projects under a 1.5 trillion baht (45 billion dollars) investment plan before the country’s possible return to democracy late next year.Enabling laws for the so-called Eastern Economic Corridor initiative should be in place by the end of 2017 to bolster investor confidence, and construction of some of the planned infrastructure could begin next year, Kanit Sangsubhan, the secretary-general of the office overseeing the plan, s

Singapore home prices have reached a bottom and will rebound, while Hong Kong’s “crazy” housing market will continue to defy gravity, according to BNP Paribas.“Very significant” income growth will drive the first leg of a recovery in home prices in Singapore, where property ownership as a proportion of household assets is near a record low, BNP’s Asia-Pacific head of research for financial institutions and property Wee Liat Lee said in an interview while visiting the city-state.

Vietnamese working abroad and sending money home will help keep the currency stable and enable the central bank to focus on supporting economic growth, a senior official said.Nguyen Hoang Minh, deputy head of the State Bank of Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh, said remittances to the city are forecast to rise 10 percent to 5.5 billion dollars this year, helping ensure enough supply of foreign currency.

Masayoshi Son has found a new breed of believers: yield-hungry Asian investors.SoftBank Group has already issued 7.9 billion dollars of dollar-denominated bonds this year, but there's a key difference versus other offerings.These notes are unique in that they cater specifically to Asian investors.